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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Knots, Rappeling, V-Threads

Its not (quite) ice season however its getting closer and closer everyday. Will Gadd has posted some good information on his blog about rappelling and knots when climbing ice. He also links to a really good paper on v-threads and re-bored screw placements.

The short version from Will's blog is as follows:

the Euro Death Knot (EDK) is a good knot for joining 2 ropes for rappelling (leave long tails)

for V-threads

with 7 mm cord use a Fisherman's knot

with webbing use a water knot

threading your rope opens the door for all sorts of trouble

From the paper:

re-bored screw placements are almost as strong as a fresh placement

use long ice screws to make the strongest V-threads

NEVER use a single anchor (V-thread or ice screw) when high forces are expected

Good information and a good read. As usual, ice climbing is a dangerous sport and you should seek instruction from a qualified guide. We're not responsible for anything you choose to do in the mountains. Besides you shouldn't believe stuff you read on the Internet anyway.